psychoshenanigans | GRATIA // PSL

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GRATIA // PSL

The first thing he feels is the cold.

It permeates everything down here on the lower levels. What little warmth humans have made for themselves is greedily gobbled up by the stone walls that surround them on all sides. Despite the stirring of people in the streets, in their homes, and around corners, this place feels like a grave. A similar sense seems to loom over the heads of most who make their way through this deep, dark part of the world, hovering around them like a cloud of inevitability. No one has been outright sentenced to death, but they may as well be.

Upon waking, Tek will have found himself in a dark, wet alleyway. Attempts to orient himself reveal that he has been brought, somehow, to an impressively large network of tunnels that all lead, more or less, to three or four larger chambers. There is far more vibrant life above him somewhere, far, far above the layer of caves he's in now, and there is also a very deep, sluggish form of life somewhere far below his feet.

No one is coming to get him. No one follows him in his immediate vicinity--the few stragglers hanging around doorsteps and windows don't give him a second glance, or even a first one. The place is crowded, but not busy. Everyone keeps their heads down. The people are all dressed poorly, in rags and robes and bundles that suggest a certain level of consistent poverty all throughout the level. The buildings in these tunnels look man-made, either built from scrap or carved straight out of the rock of the cave, but the majority of the actual roads and cave walls seem to have been formed with very little help from human hands.

The place is lit with lanterns and dirty-looking florescents suspended high above in the cave ceiling. The air is thick and stuffy, the smell of mold and mud prevalent over even the smell of human stagnation. It would not be hard to drag someone off, and he gets the immediate feeling that if he did, it's unlikely that anyone would come looking for them.

What does he do?

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[Tek can't fault him at all for the request. Tonic had let his question about Tek being poor settle, after all, whereas Tek is pushing is own question a step beyond that. it isn't very fair, so a balance is absolutely deserved here.

as if this had been a turn played within their favorite game, Tek begins to unbutton his shirt without complaint.]

Of course.

[soon, Tonic will have one bare and vulnerable chest, a very expensive necklace exposed, and all the room he needs in order to answer.]

[Tonic had taken a step back to give Tek a little more room, but as his request is fulfilled... he finds himself at an optimal vantage point to gaze again at the other's perfect form, something he had somehow convinced himself could not have been possible since the last time he saw him with his shirt off.

but here is is again. he absently touches the good side of his own face, both blatantly and unabashedly captivated by the man in front of him.]

It isn't fair. [a beat.] I think I said that last time.

[and then, after a happy sigh, he asks:]

How would you feel about wearing a little piece of something from the dead man who wrecked my face, darling?

[to get the best kind of giggle out of Tek, you need to do something both surprising and truly disgusting. so, Tonic successfully gets one of those sorts of giggles from him now.

he's horrified. he couldn't be happier.]

...I suppose it depends on what it is.

[ah, see? this is the kind of fun they had last time, too. he grins mischievously, sticking his tongue out a little between his teeth.]

Oh, just some of his jacket. I still have a few scraps left.

[nevermind the unsettling implications that he had stolen, coveted, and kept track of this piece of clothing for years--with the mood morbidly lightened, he sets to work draping things back over Tek, dexterously pressing and cutting and pinning pieces together into something that begins to resemble a whole, fitted coat.]

Silk lining, mostly. He didn't deserve it.

[he still has the biggest smile on the one side of his face, as if nothing in the world would bring him more satisfaction than putting a piece of that man's clothing into this very purposeful work of art.]

[of all the things that could have distracted them from that important question Tek had asked, this is a very worthy one.

even though he's so close to him, Tek is having a hard time keeping his eyes off of him as he works. he can't help it, with the way his hands are all over him, assembling fabric and mementos of dead men on him like artwork on a canvas. it's a string of moments that he couldn't be more caught up in.]

I'm very happy to help.

[Tonic really is very good at what he does. while the initial, conceptual stages of this coat may have been hit-or-miss, something very flattering starts to pull together from the mess of scraps and strips and loose chaos filling the room. he has an eye for shapes, he works quickly, and he stays fully engrossed in their charming conversation while doing it.]

So yes, I didn't like how bright it was. [he picks up right where he'd promised to, cutting a very long strip down the length of Tek's arm, close enough to have nicked him if he wasn't paying attention.] But more than that... Well, you'll probably find this silly, but every time I'd leave a building, I felt like I was going to fall into the sky.

[okay, well... the sudden grin on Tek's face absolutely betrays how cute he finds this admission. it's precious, and he'd pay any amount of money to have been able to see young Tonic reacting to that big, bad sky.

he's going to try not saying anything and just seeing where it goes, at first. but if he's left to his own devices for too many moments, a giggle might slip out. in the meantime, his expression is of one of sheer delight.]

[maybe this is the dragon's lucky day (pardon the expression). Tonic can't afford to look up at Tek, not with this straight and long of a cut. it was also only one part of a complete thought, so there's a little more to his inexplicably precious story.]

I knew it wasn't going to happen, obviously, but it just felt so... infinitely big, and empty. I really didn't like it.

[as the two sides of the sleeve fall apart, he sighs a little, half a wide smile on his face as he continues to pin down the new seam without looking up.]

Go on, Up-Top, you can laugh.

[he tries, he really does... but there is this quiet, elated wheeze the moment that he's given permission.]

I'm sorry... [he lies, while giggling.] It's just a delightful mental image.

Oh, is it?

[maybe this proves that Tonic truly is the better person, as he has yet to stab Tek with any of those sharp little pins of his. at least he seems to be taking the laughter in good humor. this isn't the first time someone has poked fun at him for it. it's certainly one of the nicer times.]

A smaller me almost getting knocked on my ass by something that doesn't move? It's something...

[he wouldn't call it "delightful", though.]

[it is a shame that Tonic is taking the high road (so far) on this, as there's very little to discourage Tek from continuing to enjoy this moment to the fullest.]

Yes. It is. I bet you were adorable.

[and then, before either of them can dwell on just how cute he imagines a young Tonic to be, Tek gasps as another thought occurs to him.]

Oh, gods... flying would absolutely kill you, I think.

[he also would not have called himself "adorable", but before he has time to even consider objecting, Tek's newest thought is enough to finally make him pause in his line of pins, sounding audibly nauseous.]

Please. I would kill myself. I'd jump off the fucking ship.

[half his mouth turns down in a grimace, until the other half follows in a slightly lopsided attempt to match. just to show how awful that sounds.]

[that vehemence, combined with that face, gets a good-natured chuckle out of him. how could he not continue the subject, with reactions like that to enjoy?]

I love flying. Especially on a good clear day, when you can really see everything--horizon to horizon.

[it really is a miracle that he hasn't been jabbed with pins yet.]

[up until this point, Tonic's reactions have been based in truth, though played up a little for the sake of letting his new favorite guest have a good laugh. but something about the idea of being able to see the edge of the world in all directions causes him to look genuinely haunted, if only for the split-second it takes him to decide they should wrap up this little exchange.]

Awful. Truly dreadful.

[he reels himself back in, continuing on much the way they had before--with a good-natured tone and a crooked smile. he is almost done with a sleeve hem, so he focuses on that.]

But you can have all the fun you want... I don't think they'd even let me upstairs these days, even if I suddenly lost my senses and decided to go...

[Tek is perfectly satisfied with the interaction--even treated to a tangible flutter of horror there at the end--so he lets Tonic out of his imaginary sky-prison in peace. he's not feeling that cruel.

he'll let his friend carry the conversation in a presumably more comfortable direction.]

Oh, no? Not even with an escort?

[Tonic laughs at the incredulous thought. he finds it hard to believe that someone, anyone, would be an accomplice to the social crime of bringing someone like him all the way up there.]

And who would be escorting me, you?

[his hem finished, he stiffly crouches down to start bringing around a hem at the bottom. his work on this outfit is almost completed, at least for today.]

Am I that bad? It sounded like it might be fun.

[which are two separate thoughts of his, though he puts them together as if they're related.

he doesn't entirely understand what all is up there, but it's something more than Down Here over and over again--and if there are social feathers to ruffle in the process, that only makes it more appealing. he thinks the idea makes sense, at any rate, if Tonic doesn't have other problems with it.]

[Tonic laughs again, shaking his head a little.]

It sounded like you just want to see my suffering in-person...

[but the end of his sentence doesn't sound final. he hasn't said "no" yet. he's just waiting for a better offer while he pins his way around Tek's legs.]

Well, that's part of it, obviously. But there are other things to do up there, right? And on the way up?

[he doesn't know if it counts as a "better" offer, because the suffering is still included, but they could at least do whatever they wanted with the rest of their time. what he gathers from Robin's descriptions makes the idea sound appealing, at least.]

Oh, there's plenty on the way up...

[he knows all about the many establishments that line the cave streets between here and the idyllic world above. the silence that follows that thought is very familiar; it's the intense quiet of a man piecing together everything he knows and weighing his options in order to make the best possible decision. it's a little like their guessing game all over again.

finally, a serious (if not casual) admission:] There are a couple of shops I'd kill to get into, up there. Things I can't easily get down here.

[ah, he has missed people who take time to think before they speak. he actually enjoys the moment of silence, sensing the gears working away in the other man's head.

and even if Tonic doesn't glance up once he finally responds, the smile is there for him in Tek's voice.]

Sounds like good material for a trade, to me.

[they can even treat it like a business transaction. it'll be fun!]

[this must be exactly the kind of better deal he was looking for, because his smile returns as he pins the last few inches of fabric in place.]

It does, doesn't it?

[he'd trade a lot for a chance to haggle with a few of the vendors upstairs. that's all he needs to make it worth his time, and then-some. it's quantifiable, it's fair. Tek can have his fun, and Tonic will be paid appropriately.

he stands up again, this time reaching for Tek's arm to help pull himself up onto his wooden leg.]

All right, babe. Let's get you out of this thing.

[if there are no objections, now begins the work of carefully removing a half-assembled mass of fabric away from Tek without accidentally sticking him with pins.]

[no objections at all--Tek helps up him up and then allows himself to be disassembled as smoothly as possible. he's quite pleased with everything around him, at the moment. the promise of future interactions and trades, custom clothing, the prospect of teasing Robin with his antics. it's all wonderful.

in his contentment, he takes another minute to marvel at the coat that has been built around him.]

...Do you always work this fast, or only when pieces of dead men are involved?

[Tonic folds everything very carefully and sets it aside (rather than tossing the project into some pile, proving he can be nice to his things if he needs to be), looking charmed by the question.]

No darling, I always try to keep things as quick as possible. Most of my return customers are the kinds of people who don't have two weeks to wait around for a custom-fitted dress...

[he shrugs his mismatched shoulders as he begins to put things away, sending scraps and yardage back to whatever corner of the tent he thinks they belong in.]

It's the only reason I can claim the prices I do, honestly. There's a lot of competition down here, with access to a lot more materials...

[and the aesthetic he's created here is already appealing to a fairly niche market as it is.]

Edited 2018-12-27 21:27 (UTC)

[while Tonic cleans up, Tek leans back against the nearest stable surface and debates whether to go put his shirt back on yet or not.]

It's impressive to watch, in any case. I can only imagine what you would be capable of with more.

[--more time, more resources. he really does find it a shame that such a gem is shut up down in these tunnels. it picks at his meddling instincts. maybe, the next time he's bored, he'll play with figuring out which strings he can start pulling at around here. just for fun.]

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